


For You

by TooMuchGayForOneBody



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, lance has a kid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-06-06 19:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooMuchGayForOneBody/pseuds/TooMuchGayForOneBody
Summary: Keith and Lance never thought they would meet each other, mostly because they didn't think someone so perfect existed. (First chapter is a prologue)~~Aka the teacher/firefighter AU no one asked for but is really cute so please read it





	1. Chapter 1

Getting out of high school, Lance was still with his sweetheart, Lillie, or her nickname, Nyma. It was almost not enough to say they were in love, they truly were as close as two people could be.

During college, Nyma got pregnant and at first, the two didn't know what to do, but decided to keep the child. Lance asked Nyma to marry him, she said yes, they didn't have anything big, just signing papers. The baby was born, and everything was perfect.

The last year of college, Nyma started getting headaches. Then her vision started getting blurry. Then she started vomiting. Then walking started getting harder for her and the doctors were confused as to what was happening. Then she collapsed into a seizure. She didn't get up.

Lance spiraled into a deep depression. Their child, Maria, was only two months old. He gave her to his mother for a while, Maria didn't have a mother now and definetly didn't need to see her dad an alcoholic mess. In just half a year he had three different suicide attempts, each landing him in a mental hospital.

It took him a long time, Maria spent a small part of the beginning of her life with her grandmother while Lance pulled himself back together. Starting meds, going to therapy twice a week, restarting his life in a new city with a new job as a fire fighter and home.

\--

By the age of nine, Keith's parents were dead. He was hopped around from home to home in foster care. He was rude and violent, getting fights with other kids and adults because all he knew was that people left him, and it hurt. Keith stopped caring about people by eleven.

When he was fourteen, he was adopted by the Shirogane family. There he met his adoptive brother Takashi, Keith called him Shiro. Shiro forced him into being a better person, and oddly enough to Keith, he didn't do it with violence. Shiro made Keith stop getting in fights, get his grades up, and find a passion in teaching oddly enough.

During college, Keith started learning how to teach and was told he would do best teaching kindergarten or first grade, that made Keith ecstatic. So he started working towards being a teacher for children, learning how to work with kids and Keith was so happy, but things went down hill when he got out of college.

Shiro got hurt. Really hurt. He lost an arm while on duty in Afghanistan. And then they ran low on money and got kicked out of their house and Mr. Shirogane got sick and then....he didn't wake up one morning. Mrs. Shirogane continued to live in the small apartment and Keith left, Shiro following him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, he also needed help with day to day tasks often and Keith was happy to help.

They moved to a different city to restart. Both got new jobs, Shiro at a library and Keith working at the local kindergarten. They restarted their lives, no one knew them and they knew no one.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance meet. A new character is introduced. A dash of angst. Intense sfw action happens.

"Maria! Get some clothes on, chica, we need to get going soon," Lance called out, finishing up with her lunch and packing it into a paper bag.

"I'm already ready, Papà," she replied, running up to him sporting jeans and a purple shirt with a sequence heart on the front.

"You are! Good job, princess! Now let's see," he murmured and searched through her bag, "Notebooks, folders, drawing book, crayons, colored pencils, pencil pencils, sparkle pens, erasers, markers, lunch....anything else you need?"

"Nope, not that I can think of," she mumbled, biting her thumbnail softly.

He nodded and handed her the backpack. The two headed out to their old, junky Chevrolet painted an ugly and chipping blue. During the drive to school, the two screamed the lyrics to Disney songs and old Beyoncè lyrics. The drive to the school seemed a bit too short for Lance so when they arrived and Maria got out and started heading towards the school, Lance panicked a little getting out and locking the ar as fast as he could before running off towards her. He grabbed her hand and she smiled up at him.

"Ready," Lance asked.

"Are you asking me or yourself," she giggled back.

"Gah! I hate how smart you are," Lance sighed and they quickly made it to the fourth-grade classroom.

Looking around the room he didn't spot a teacher, much less a kid, until someone walked in from the back. The man was carrying a few heavy-looking boxes and seemed to be struggling a bit until Lance went over and took two from the top of the pile. The smaller of the two seemed a little surprised by the sudden appearance of the parent and student so he quickly set the boxes down against a wall before turning to Lance. He had shoulder-length hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and deep purple eyes, they were hidden behind red-framed glasses and he had a purple button-up with black jeans and simple tennis shoes. They stared at each other for a second before the smaller of the two spoke.

"Uh...hello, is it already time for people to start showing up," the teacher asked as he looked up at the clock,"It's a little early but uh...I'm Mr. Kogane," he awkwardly stuck out his hand.

"Lance. Lance McClain. This is my daughter Maria...Maria," Lance asks, his child staring intensely at the teacher, they both stare back.

"You're really pretty," she states and Mr. Kogane blushes.

"Thank you," he stutters out, awkwardly turning and shuffling through some papers,"Here, this is your assignment for today, it's just so I can get to know you, how about you start working on that, yeah?"

Maria nodded and grabbed the paper, running off to one of the individual desks. Lance smiled softly before turning back to the teacher, speaking in a soft voice.

"She can be shy, mostly with kids her age as she didn't really...grow up how I wished she could've," Lance whispered,"Make sure she makes a friend, please? She hasn't been the happiest recently, I'm hoping all she needs is a friend..."

Keith nodded as more parents and kids trickled into the room,"I'll tell you if I notice anything weird."

"Thank you so much," Lance sighed happily before his phone buzzed, a text message from his boss telling him to hurry up and get to work,"I need to go, please take good care of her."

"I will, sir," he smiled softly and Lance headed over to Maria.

"I'll pick you up after school, sè bueno(be good), princesa," Lance stated, kissing the top of her head.

"Sì, Papà," she replied,"Be safe at work!"

"When am I not," he joked.

"Do I need to count?" "Ha!"

\--

"Lance! Get a fuckin' move on," Rolo yelled from the truck as Lance ran up, pulling on his jacket.

He was barely in the automobile before he yelled,"Just go!"

And they were off, speeding down the streets, siren blaring loudly. Lunchtime traffic was fairly heavy so it took a bit to get there, but they were still the first of the two engines to arrive and the fire was already blazing through the house. Lance bounded out of the truck, equipment on as he rushed into the burning building, he started with the first floor, searching through all of the rooms. No one, no one, no one, no one. Maybe no one was home. Hopefully, no one was home. He rushed upstairs and searched the first room, the master bedroom, the mother was in there. Lance quickly scooped her into his arms and she groaned something about a child as he headed down the stairs, he luckily ran into Rolo in the lower area of the house so he quickly passed the woman onto him.

"I think there's a kid in the house, take her outside, I'm gonna try and find 'em," Lance quickly explained, earning a nod from Rolo.

"Be safe man," he added before they parted ways.

Lance leaped up the stair, sweat pouring down his face because these suits did help with not getting burned, but when it came to body heat, it was all trapped in. He headed back into the master bedroom, quickly checking for anyone else. The next room was empty, as well as the next, and the next, and the next, and Lance was starting to get stressed but there was one room left so he checked there. A young boy and an Australian Shepherd. The little boy was curled in the corner of his bed, holding his dog tightly as she licked his face in an attempt to calm him. He had obvious tear stains down his soot-covered face, and when the dog noticed him she wagged her tail roughly, prompting Lance to launch forward. He smiled and took his mask off, giving the boy a large grin.

"Hey kiddo, I'm gonna put this mask on you and then we're gonna get out of here," Lance explained and the kid nodded, allowing Lance to wrap the mask around his head.

"Don't forget Moot," he cried sadly, holding onto his dog tighter.

"I won't, don't worry. Now, this blanky is gonna keep you from getting burnt, so it might get really hot but you're not gonna get hurt," Lance explained, wrapping the blanket around him tightly.

Lance pulled out another blanket and wrapped it around the dog before picking both of them up and rushing out of the room, heading down the stairs. The lower part of the house was more blazing than before, so with a little more urgency than before he rushes out the door and to the ambulance now at the cite. He set the kid down and the paramedics got to work while he quickly set the dog down, who quickly pranced around Lance's legs before heading over to the mother, who was talking to the father who had just arrived. Lance let out a sigh and went to help his co-worker, Blaytz, with putting the actual fire out. It wasn't long before the father walked over to the family, stress, and sadness obvious on his face, Lance patted Thace's shoulder and turned to the man.

"How can I help you, sir," Lance asked, approaching the man.

"I uh... just wanted thank you, for helping my wife and child out of the house, Moot as well," he replied tiredly.

"It's no problem, sir," Lance smiled,"It's my job."

He nodded,"I know but... just... thank you so much, I don't know what I would do without them..."

Lance's chest ached and he nodded before whispering,"I understand."

His phone suddenly sounded from the truck so Lance went over and checked what was happening. It was an alarm screaming at him to pick up Maria. He panicked and rushed over to his boss, Alfor.

"Sir, my daughter is about to get out of school, I need to go get her, can I take the buggy back to the station and go get her," he asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, here's the keys. Drive safely," he responded, the last part seeming mildly threatening.

Lance nodded and grabbed the keys and sprinted to the car, throwing himself inside and zooming down the street. Traffic was pretty bad as Lance set the alarm for fifteen minutes earlier than school is actually let out so it took Lance about twenty minutes to get to the station and rid himself of the heavy armor and fifteen more to get to the school, Lance cursing himself the entire time he was driving from the station to the school. Once he got there, he jumped out and ran inside, heading towards the proper classroom. Once inside, he spotted Mr. Kogane speaking to Maria, the only kid left. Lance frowned deeply, feeling like he really messed up, but when she looked up and spotted him, she only smiled.

"Papà! You're here," she announced, running over and jumping into his arms,"I'm ready to go home and- you smell like smoke!"

"Do I? Agh, I do, sorry, chica," he apologized, setting her down, she hated the smell of smoke, especially when he smelled of it.

"And you're burnt! What did we talk about," she yelled at him, slapping the reddened skin on his face gently.

"I had to take my mask off today, princesa, I'm ok though," he told her before turning to Mr. Kogane, "Sorry for showing up so late, work was a bit hectic today."

"Don't worry about it, she's a good kid so it was really fun talking to her," he smiled before his eyes gently drifted to his chin where he was burned,"You should put some aloe on there, maybe get some anti-inflammatories as well, that should help it heal pretty quick."

"Yeah, I'll definitely try that out," Lance smiled, grabbing Maria's hand,"We should get going, naps are always a necessity in the house."

Keith laughed softly,"I feel that. I should probably get back to work now, I have a lot of math papers to grade."

Lance nodded with a smile,"I'll drop her off and pick her up at more reasonable times tomorrow."

"Right," Mr. Kogane nodded with a smile,"Uh...drive safe."

With that, Maria and Lance headed out the door and into the parking lot. Once in the car, both were seated and still silent, even halfway through the drive. Lance knew Maria was staring at him with That Look, the look of knowing that Lance thought someone was attractive.

"Shut up," he grumbled.

She burst out into giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written really fast which I typically don't like at all but the first chapter wasn't even really a chapter so....


	3. Chapter 3

"Shiro, Adam, I'm finally home," Keith called as he entered the apartment.

Shiro and Adam had met the first year he and Keith moved to the new town, it didn't take long for Shiro to question his sexuality after meeting the boy. It took about two years just for the two to admit that they had feelings for each other and they soon started dating after that, it only took a few more for the two to get engaged and only a half a year to get officially married. 

As Keith was pulling his shoes off, Adam ran out towards him, making Keith scream as he was picked up and used as a human shield. Shiro came zooming around the corner, and attempting to grab Adam. 

"Guys, please, one day of not being nearly killed," Keith whines as he was roughly tossed from one side to the other. 

"He's trying to tickle me," Adam screamed. 

"You're cute when you laugh," Shiro shot back. 

"Awe, that's sweet, now I'm already gay enough let me gooooooo," Keith begged helplessly. 

Shiro and Adam stared at each other for a few seconds, both glaring gently. There was no heat behind any hateful thing they ever did to each other, just pure love and affection. 

"Truce," Shiro asked. 

"Truce," Adam replied and released Keith.

Once Keith was released and he sighed, readjusting his glasses. Adam was instantly tackled by Shiro as the third boy left to his room, setting down his bag and loosening his tie slightly as he heard screams of laughter from the next room over. Next he pulled all of the papers from his students out, sorting them before sitting down and pulling out a red pen. Grading wasn't his favorite thing to do, obviously, but the almost rhythmic pattern of it often calmed him about. 

Everything was going well, the grades were usual. Ashely got an A, Bryce got a C, Max got an F, Miles got a B, John got a C, Maria got an F, Pa- wait. Maria got an F?

A soft, confused grunt escaped Keith. It wasn't... unexpected of Maria really. Her grades had been slipping so it was expected at some point but Keith thought it would let up before this. Keith marked down to message Mr. McClain about a Parent Teacher Conference. Papers went on and so did time and before Keith new it it was already midnight. 

He mutters quietly to himself and headed into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal and pulled out his phone. As he ate, he checked the news, hoping there were no serious fires. Was it inappropriate for Keith to be so interested in a students father? Yes, but there was something about the man that interested Keith. Whatever. He was just another person.

Once Keith was finished with his cereal he headed back into his room, grabbing boxers and an XXL green shirt he had gotten a long time ago for sleeping. He grabbed a towel on his way to the bathroom, a long, hot shower was a necessity to the boy at the moment.

He turned the shower on and slipped out of his clothes, looking at himself at the mirror. He frowned a poked at a few small pimples on his face and glowered at the few eye brow hairs that stuck up and out at odd angles. That brought him down to his eyes, the were a bit bloodshot with exhaustion and his pupils were a bit blown for some reason but then again his dark purple irises always made them seem a tad bit blown. His eyes darted to his jaw line, a dark scar goes from his mid cheek down to there, a stupid fight he had as a kid, the other had pulled a knife. 

Suddenly the glass fogged up and Keith blinked away, looking at the shower and heading over, he adjusted the temperature before getting in and sighing in relief. As the water rolled down his lean, yet still very strong, body, he relaxed, thinking over his day. 

He couldn't help but think back to Maria, there was something wrong with her and he couldn't help but be worried. As he scrubbed his head of shampoo and conditioner, he contemplated whether to send an email after his shower or to talk to Mr. McClain the next day before school to inform him about a mandatory Parent Teacher Conference. He groaned slightly after washing his body and reluctantly pulled himself out of the shower. He dried off and put on his pajamas on, walking over to his bed and face planting onto it, deciding to talking to Mr. McClain in the morning. 

—

Six hours later, he was chugging an entire pot of coffee as he sat at his desk, reviewing the lesson for that day. Shiro said he wouldn't drink the entire pot, and there was no cup big enough so Keith literally took the pot, sprinting out the door as Adam yelled about not having enough coffee. Speaking of yelling, two people were yelling outside of his classroom door, which was especially odd as not many people were there yet. 

"Just talk to me, what's wrong," the first asked. 

"Nothing! It's nothing! I said I'm fine so I'm fine," the second replied. 

"Don't lie to me! Is someone giving you issues, do we need to talk to Mr. Proctor about this," the first asked, voice softening at the end. 

"NOTHING! NO ONE IS SAYING ANYTHING TO ME! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE," the second screamed and stormed into the classroom, the two met eyes for a second but she continued to walk toward the back, sitting down in a corner and curling up around a book. 

Keith frowned, from what he saw in the beginning of the year, he would have net thought Maria and Mr. McClain were even capable of fighting. Keith quietly got up and headed out the door, watching Mr. McClain walk away dejectedly for a second before he caught up. He placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around, tears obvious in the corners of his eyes. 

"U-u-uh, hey," Keith started awkwardly,"Are you ok?"

He laughed sickly,"Totally."

"Don't be like that," he grumbled,"What happened?"

"I-I don't know, she just- she's been crying so hard, she's been so uncomfortable about something b-but she refuses to tell me! I-I don't know what to do anymore, she's blocking me out like she hates me," the man cried, a tear or two slipping down his cheeks. 

"I'll talk to her, okay? I'll see if I can get anything out of her," the other promised, pulling a tissue out from the pocket-sized tissue holder he had, wiping the other's eyes and nose gently; he quickly realized what he had done though,"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Ugh that was really weird, I'm just used to doing it with the kids and uh.... my uh......brother's.... cat...."

Mr. McClain laughed, his head lolling down,"It's uh, it's fine. My mom used to do that when I lived near her, so it made me feel really good actually."

Keith cracked a smile as well,"Ok, well I should get back to Maria. I'll tell you anything I can."

"Thank you, so much, you're like the best teacher in the world."

"I wouldn't say that..."

"Oh?"

"I'm currently chugging an entire pot of coffee because my brother said I couldn't so...."

"Pfft oh my god," he snorted,"Ok, anyway I need to go to work, make sure Maria has a better day?"

"Promise," Keith smiles,"Oh and by the way, we need to meet at some point to talk about her grades."

"Ughhhhhh," he groaned,"Ok, see you later after school, Mr. Kogane."

"Keith."

"Hmm?"

"Uh... call me Keith."

"Only if you call me Lance."

"Deal."

"Right, bye Keith!"

"Bye."

Keith turned around and gnawed on his lower lip, he logically knew nothing could happen but those broad shoulder, blue eyes, and long legs had him fantasizing. He shook his head as he entered the classroom, which was filled with soft sobs. He locked the door, not wanting anyone coming in during such an important talk. 

Keith frowned deeply, walking over and sitting next the the crying girl. She turned away from him as if it would do anything. 

"Maria," Keith tried, she turned away some more,"Please."

"No," she shook her head, burying her face in her knees,"You'll tell my dad."

"I won't if you really don't want you to. I understand how important privacy is," he said. 

"Pinky promise," she asked weakly, looking up with her blood shot eyes, obviously she'd been sobbing for a while. 

"Pinky swear," he smirked back at her. 

"It's just....I don't know," she cried, pulling at her long hair with a panicked look in her eyes,"I-It a-all feels so-o so wrong!"

Keith's frown deepened,"What do you mean?"

"I hate playing with the girls, they try and make me someone I feel like I'm not but feel like I should be! I hate playing with the boys, they just make me feel so so bad and-and disfigured," she sobbed, grabbing and almost ripping at the long-sleeved pink shirt,"They all make me feel wrong!"

"Why? Are they bullying you?"

"No! I just- I just don't know anymore...."

Keith's eyes widened in the realization of a possibility.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the Wednesday after Keith had talked to Maria and Lance was due to come any time now. School had just ended so a few kids were still there, including Maria. He had explained to her what he believed but she furiously shook her head, saying it was impossible, but the next day she came back in tears, saying she thinks he's right. 

Suddenly the door opened, snapping Keith out of his thoughts with a jump. Not Lance, Ms. Meyer. She smiled at him sweetly, she and her husband divorced three years ago and she was, to say the least, extremely excited to mingle, with Keith especially. 

"Mr. Kogane! Nice to see you again," she batted her eyes as her son, Micheal, and daughter, Max, came up to her, hugging her legs desperately, they were the last two. 

"You too, ma'am. How have you been," he asked, he needed to be nice to the parents no matter how.... awkward they made him feel. 

"Excellent now that you're here," she winked wickedly. 

"Right," he sweated, and by the grace of some god, Lance walked in, "Lance! Hey!"

"Hey, man," he smiled at him, glancing between the two.

"We need to start the conference," he smiled widely, freedom was in view. 

"O-oh," Ms. Meyers said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yep," he smiled fake-ly, "Now then."

"Right-o," Lance smiled and as soon as the lady walked out, Keith collapsed into his chair, Maria had been patiently waiting in one of the two chairs across from Keith's.

"Oh my gods," he groaned, "She's such a flirt! Not that I hate flirting, but I don't like... her flirting."

Lance laughed and sat next to Maria, tussling her hair and kissing her head, "Yeah, I've seen her.... around. N-not personally but y-you know..."

Keith snorted, "Yeah... but anyways... Maria."

She cringed slightly and got up, going over to look through the small library once again. The two men frowned before turning back to each other, talking quietly.

"Yeah..."

"Her grades have been slipping, she's been getting F's and not turning in any of her work, at this rate she won't pass the semester," Keith frowned deeply. 

"Did she tell you anything? Did you find anything out," Lance asked desperately. 

Keith's eyes drifted to Maria, he couldn't break this promise, so he shook his head, "It's not my place to tell..."

"Please Keith, I need to know."

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I've been through a situation a bit like this, and when someone told another person my secrete, it nearly ripped me apart. Maria isn't telling you because she thinks she's helping, she's scared. You should just try supporting her in any way you see fit."

"How can I do that if I don't know the issue?"

"Tell her that you're there for her for anything, anything at all!"

"Keith, please."

"I promised her, I refuse to break that promise."

Lance sighed, "I really like that aspect of you but it's really irking me right now!"

"Give her time, Lance, she's not even sure of herself right now."

Lance nodded and aggressively rubbed his head, "Alright, alright. So, her grades? How can we fix that?"

"Sit down with her, help her with her homework, she's so smart she really doesn't need it, but she just needs someone there to force her to actually do it."

Lance nodded slightly," Right, ok, I'll make sure to. Can she still turn the assignments in?"

"Of course, I'll give her all the time she needs for the assignments as well as future tests."

"I think you're playing favorites," Lance snickered. 

"It's hard not to," Keith smiled, glancing over at the kid, "You did so well at raising her."

"I- thank you," he smiled softly. 

"Ok, I think that's all we actually had to talk about, but other than that, how's work going?"

"Ughhhhh, we have a few new hires, some of them are pretty good but a few of them are just, ugh! They don't listen at all, like come on Jacob, that alarm means up now," Lance rolled his eyes, "Luckily it was just an old lady that took a fall and only got a bruise but still!"

Keith giggles at this, making him turn red with embarrassment, "Seriously? Does he know what the job is?"

"Sometimes I think not," Lance laughed. 

They talked for a while longer and before they knew it, the sun was almost down and they were both laughing a cursing quietly as Keith rounded his stuff up. Maria has ended up falling asleep in said time, she was curled up on one of the bean bag chairs in the corner and Lance gently scooped her up, holding her close. They laughed quietly as they walked out to their cars, their hands brushing against each other every so often. 

Lance unlocked his car and buckled his child in, placing an extra blanket over her, as Keith shoved his things into the back of his small black and red Renault Twingo. Lance had miraculously parked right next to Keith so when they closed their doors, they immediately were faced to face. 

"Oh, uh, " Lance stuttered, "Hey."

"Hey, " Keith replied. 

"I know I've said this a lot, but thank you for everything, " he said lowly. 

"No problem, " Keith replied, eyes wide. 

It was quiet for a few seconds between the two before Lance took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Keith. It took a second, but Keith repaid the favor, choosing his eyes and taking a breath. 

"She's upset and crying a lot right now, and her grades are slipping, but after school, she always has this energy around her that's really happy and, " he squeezed the other a little tighter, "I-It just means so damn much to me."

Keith squeezed a little tighter as well before they pulled apart, "Get home safe, Lance."

"You too, " Lance replied. 

They stared at each other for a second before looking away and getting in their cars. Keith waited for Lance to leave before groaning and slamming his head against the steering. He started up his car and drove to the store, buying a five-gallon bucket of ice cream and heading home. 

Once home, he sat on the couch, put on a crappy Hallmark movie, grabbed a large spoon, and dug into the ice cream to drown out his sorrows. it only took about an hour for his pity party to be crashed by Shiro and Adam busting through the door with large bags of groceries.

"Hey, Keith, what's up? I thought you'd be in your room, " Shiro asked as he set down the groceries.

Already knowing what was to come, Keith was furiously scooping vanilla ice cream into his mouth. Keith had pretty bad lactose intolerance but at the moment he didn't care if his insides turned to mush, he wanted ice cream and that's all that he cared about. 

"Keith? What are you- KEITH! STOP, " Shiro yelled and launched himself at the bucket. 

"NO! FUCK OFF OLD MAN, " Keith responded. 

"Keith, " he scolded in his dad voice and Keith heard a quiet 'ooooh' from Adam. 

"Ugh! Fine, but only because having my legs wrapped around this things is making them chilly, " he pouted, handing the bucket over to Shiro, taking one last large spoonful. 

"What's up? What's wrong, " Shiro asked after figuring out how to put the container in the freezer. 

"Boys are stupid and gross, " he pouted, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"Oh, " Shiro blinked, "Yeah... They really can be."

"Hey, " Adam shouted from the other room. 

"Anyway, what happened with you and this guy? Also, who is this guy?"

"His name is Lance and he's disgustingly hot and I can't do shit about it because I teach his kid and I can't be in the same room with her and twenty other kids knowing her dad dicked me down by her dad the other night," he groaned.

"There is so much wrong with everything you just said," Adam snorted, sitting down and throwing his legs over the two, a bowl of chips in hand. 

"Yeah but uh... you know I don't think that'd be an issue but uh....."

"There's no way, it's impossible!"

"What sparked this?"

"We had a conference to talk about what's happening because her grades are failing but she's a really good and smart kid, she's just troubled at the moment, and then we talked for a long time and he hugged me and said that I did so much for him and ugh he smelled really nice," Keith cried. 

"Listen, I think if you really like this guy, give it a shot. It's obvious that you really like his kid and I think that is big in itself. Get some ass for god's sake, it's been like five years," Adam said, giving his food for thought. 

"I don't know if he even likes dudes!"

"How long did he hug you for?"

"Like a minute."

"He likes dick," Adam stayed bluntly. 

"That doesn't prove anything."

"It proves bunches! Anyway, Pidge is coming over in like five minutes to beat your ass."

"Why?"

"Because we walked in on you trying to kill yourself with ice cream and watching Hallmark movies so I knew it was a boy troubling you and texted her."

"Ugh, fine. Oh, and how'd your first day go?"

"This guy kept on calling me Jacob!"

—

"Piiiiidge, "  Keith cried, hugging his pillow, "I hate this!" 

"I know, this happens with every crush you have, though I do have to congratulate you, usually this happens right when you meet them, " she replied, popping her neck, it was usually stiff because she was constantly on her computer. 

"I need love, attention, and comfort right now Pidge, stop attacking me, " Keith sighed back, forcing his head into her lap. 

"I'm void of that, " she deadpanned.

"Well fuck off then, " he rolled his eyes.

Pidge rolled her eyes back at him, "I might."

"Bet!"

She started to get up and Keith whines loudly. 

“Fuckin twink,” she smirked. 

“Fuckin dick,” he grumbled back. 

“Hey, you know I don’t like being called that,” she glared. 

“Sorry sorry, wasn’t thinking,” he apologizes before continue, ”Well I was thinking but I wasn’t thinking about you tbh I was thinking about dick.”

“First of all, right in front of my salad? Second of all, did you really just say ‘t-b-h’,” she asked. 

“Is there an issue?”

“You’re a teacher????”

“Ughhhhh whatever! Help me with my problems,” he whined. 

“I think you should just go for it.”

“I can’t ‘just go for it’! He has a kid! A biological kid! What if he doesn’t like dick,” he asked seriously. 

“Show me a picture of him,” she demanded and Keith immediately did so. 

“You have this saved to your camera roll,” she asked. 

“Shut up.”

“Keith, this is from google. This is from a picture of him at work, like a group pic of him and his coworkers.”

“Shut up!”

“Keith this is from his FaceBook!”

“Why are you scrolling? Stop!!”

She cackled and continued to scroll through, ”Why do you have so many pictures of him? Ooh~ a butt shot!”

He snatched his phone from her, ”I’m being attacked and I don’t like it!”

“Oh shut up you big wuss,” she shoved him, ”You really should ask him on a date though, my gaydar went off when I saw him. I feel like he leans towards women though.”

“I can’t. Not right now. He needs to focus on his kid and do whatever he can for Maria right now,” he sighed sadly. 

“Why? Is everything ok,” she asked. 

“Y-... Actually, do you think you could talk to her,” Keith asked softly, ”You’re kind of an expert in this area of issues.”

“Yeah, of course. What wrong,” Pidge asked again. 

“Maria... she thinks she might be trans.”


	5. Chapter 5

It was already nearly winter break and Keith was practically banging his head against every surface in his proximity when Lance entered the room. He had definitely started either working out more or a new routine but either way he had more muscles and Keith had definitely nearly cried from joy twice. 

He really needed to get ahold of himself though, Maria was still struggling. She wasn't quiet too sure on how she felt about different pronouns or names so she rejected them completely. She was getting worse though and Keith had to stop her from punching a kid at one point. 

So here he was after school, a few other kids waiting for their parents as Keith was crouched next to the 4th grader as she sobbed into his shoulder. His heartached to see her in pain, he cared about her so much and he hated seeing her cry so often. 

"Maria," he said quietly, and pulled away,"I think we should tell your Papa."

"No! We can't tell him! H-He'd be so upset and disappointed a-and-," she started. 

"Has he ever said something bad about the community," he asked, knowing stuff about it had been on the news recently. 

"No, but he'll be losing the rest of Mama, I don't want to do that to him," she frowned heavily. 

"Oh Maria, you'll still be your Mama's and your Papa's kid, no matter if your a girl, a boy, or even a little bug," he joked, a slight smile on his face. 

She must've not found it funny because she didn't respond, causing Keith to sigh. 

"Listen, I want you to meet a friend of mine but I don't want to do it without your Papa's approval because I could get into really really big trouble," he said,"Her name is Pidge and when she was born, she was born in a boy's body. I think she could really help you out with, figure things out."

"I don't know," she whispered quietly. 

"We don't have to tell him anytime soon, but a lot of times, people who are trans do some bad things to themselves, and I really really don't want that to happen to you," he said quietly,"Promise me you'll come to me before anything like that happens."

"Promise," she said after a second. 

"Pinky promise," he asked. 

"Pinky promise," she laughed a little, and wiped her snot away with her sleeve. 

"What has your Papa been teaching you," he fake gasped and grabbed a tissue,"Blow, little buggy."

She rolled her eyes and blowed her nose into the tissue, humoring him. He stood up and patted her back and a mother came in to pick her daughter up. 

They talked for a second before she headed out, Lance walking in soon after. They smiled at each other before Maria ran up and hugged her dad, prompting him to hoist her up and plant a fat kiss on her cheek. She looked at the two of them before giving her father an odd, large smile, making his eyes widen and his face flush. 

"No," he stated harshly, only making her smile grow wider,"Stop it demon child!"

She giggled loudly and Keith was confused but brushed it off. 

"So how horrible was my spawn today," Lance joked. 

"She was great! She had a bit of a rough ending but overall she seemed alright," he smiled softly, getting Lance to smile back. 

And that's how the days went by for two months until Keith really couldn't take it anymore and just had Pidge come after school. He had the rest of the kids go to Ms. Marla's room, one that was a few rooms over, and he made sure to email or text all of the parents telling them where their kids were. He kept Maria in the room and, of course, didn't tell Lance that she was in a different room because well, she wasn't. 

"Oh my gods I'm gonna in so so so much trouble," Keith whined as he pulled Pidge into the room. 

She was in an army green dress, an golden necklace on and tan ankle boots with a short heel. Her hair was down and she had some light makeup on. 

"So maybe you shouldn't be doing this," she whispered back. 

"I can't see her cry so much anymore, I'm hoping this will help her understand what she's feeling," he sighed quietly and she nodded, walking over to the kid on the floor, sitting against the wall, book in hand. 

"Uh, hi," she said awkwardly,"I'm Katie, you can call me Pidge if you want though."

Maria nodded. 

"Keith said you're questioning your gender," she asked. 

She stiffened, but nodded. It was quite for a second. 

"How did you know?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you know you were a girl?"

"Well when I was about your age, I didn't know. I was a basic boy, I liked trucks, and I rough housed, and I thought girls had cooties, you know, the basics," she tried to joke,"but when I got into seventh grade, it started to feel.... wrong. I didn't like to shower, I wore baggy clothes, and whenever people called me by my birth name or by he-him pronouns I visibly cringed.

"I didn't know what was wrong with me, not that there was anything wrong. But anyway, my friend talked to me about transgenderism and told me about this thing called gender dysphoria."

Maria looked at her, silently asking questions. 

"Dysphoria, for me, was everywhere. I didn't like my voice, it was too deep, I didn't like my hair, it was too short, I didn't like my feet and legs and arms, they were too hairy, I was even worried about how I held my cups, scared it was too masculine," she laughed a little at the memory, it really was ridiculous. 

"Can my clothes be dysphoria," she asked quietly. 

"Well yeah! I haven't worn anything even slightly masculine in like three years," she smiled. 

"What if I don't feel comfortable in boys clothes either," she asked, looking more distraught by the second. 

"You can wear both girls and boys clothes, or you could wear unisex clothes, there's a lot more options than you think!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, like some people don't identify as either a boy or a girl."

"Mmmm I don't know about that..."

"That's ok, you don't have to know now, it took me like six years to figure it out," Pidge shrugged. 

"But if I wanted, could I try out boy clothes?"

"Yeah, of course," Pidge smiled,"I think you should give it a try."

Suddenly the door opened, making the three jump, Keith's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest in fear. Lance's face changed from confused to a little bit angry and protective. 

"What's going on? Who's she," Lance asked immediately. 

"S-She's uh- I just- It's not- She's my," Keith stumbled over himself, he knew this was a really bad idea so why did he do this again?

"I'm Katie, Keith's best friend," she stated,"I uh, came to see him at work?"

"Yeah, sure cool, why are so close to my daughter," he asked, walking over to Maria, who seemed to cringe a little. 

"Papa," she groaned out. 

"What did I say about talking to strangers, mija," he asked, a frown on his face before he turned to Keith,"And why would you do that? She may be a friend but it's extremely inappropriate to just brin-"

"Papa! They were helping me," she groaned, pulling on his sleeve, causing him to look down at her,"I-I need to tell you something..."

Keith looked at her, eyes wide, before grabbing Pidge and yanking her out of the room. She sent Maria a quick thumbs up before the door was closed shut, Keith sat in the hallway, panicking to Pidge about how he was an idiot and how his small chance was now dead and in shambles. More importantly though, Maria and Emily were sitting down inside. 

"First of all, you really over reacted there! Mr. Kogane was right there if anything bad happened, and he's a really good guy so he obviously wouldn't let a person he didn't trust in his classroom. Second of all," She started out harsh, but she quickly grew nervous,"Pidge was helping me...with something really scary..."

"Oh," Lance said, eyes widened,"Do you wanna tell me about what's scary?"

"Kinda.... not really though," she replied, picking at her pants. 

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but you can come to me about anything."

"I know.. it's just," her breath hitched slightly,"Papa, do you love me?"

"Of course, Maria, you're my world, my starts, sky, and moon," he told her, pulling her into a hug as she began to sob into her shoulder,"I'll always love you, no matter what."

"Would you still love me if I wanted to be a boy," she asked. 

Lance's eyes widened as he processed everything, hugging her even tighter,"Of course, I promise."

They stayed like that for a good five minutes before pulling apart. It was quiet for a second. 

"So you're a boy," Lance asked. 

"I think so," she murmured,"I'm not sure yet."

Lance nodded,"How about we get you a short haircut? And if you like that we get you some boy clothes?"

She nodded,"Thank you, I love you, Papa."

"I love you, too," Lance replied and kissed her forehead,"You're perfect, no matter who you are, or who you love... unless you fall in love with a 96 year old guy any time soon, then we're gonna have a conversation."

Maria giggled,"Ew! Old guys are gross."

"Good thing I'm just a young lad then, yeah," Lance joked. 

"No! You're old," she giggled. 

"What? So rude! And I'm just trying to be such a good dad, I've been wounded," he cried. 

They got up soon after, heading out the door, immediately hearing Keith's groans of despair as he was thrown across Pidge's lap. 

"Uh, hey, sorry for like... losing it," Lance apologized. 

Keith bolted up right, causing Pidge to roll her eyes,"Oh, it's alright, don't worry about it, I mean it really was a bad idea to have her... uh him... them? talk to a stranger without your consent."

"I'm glad you did, but uh, yeah, next kid you do this for you should really tell the parents," he nodded,"And uh, Katie right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, still on the floor. 

"Thanks for helping," he smiled awkwardly. 

"As long as you're not gonna be jerk-wad about it, we can be fine," she said,"otherwise I can and will rip out your eyes."

"Don't mid her, she's always this violent," Keith waved her off. 

Lance laughed a little,"I'll keep that in mind?"

"U-uh yeah," Keith nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

Winter break had begun and so Christmas parties had passed and New Years parties had begun, so here Keith was, looking at the tenth shirt he had put on, deciding is it was good or not. He had tried on an array on black, green, blue, yellow, and other colored shirts, Shiro had said he looked nice in all of them but Keith disagreed. 

"Oh my god! Keith, please, you look fine," Shiro practically begged. 

"But- ugh! This shirt looks dumb! Where's my purple one," he groaned and dug around in his closet some more. 

"Keith, dearest bro-bro-in-law," Adam sighed,"I love you to death, but this is stupid, the red one looks best on you."

Keith looked at Adam with wide eyes,"I FORGOT ABOUT THAT ONE! Where is it?"

As Keith rummaged around his room like a deranged animal, Shiro and Adam smiled at each other. This boy would be the death of them but if trying on what were practically the same shirt for thirty minutes just to maybe impress a guy was what all they really had to do, it was fine. 

Keith screeched when he found the deep red button up, elated to have it. He quickly put it on and they were ready to go.

With Adam in the same fire department as Lance, them meeting up had a very high chance and Keith did not want to look like an idiot in front of not only a parent, but his crush. So it did take him a while to get ready, yes, but could you really blame him?

The drive there was long, too many people trying to get to their own parties while already tipsy. It was a dangerous journey but they got there safely, and the party was already started. There was music, though it wasn't extremely loud but loud enough to be able to hear it. 

"Ready," Shiro asked, looking back at Keith as they parked. 

"Nope, let's go," Keith wheezed and got out of the car. 

The three walked in and they were immediately met by cheers. Keith spent the beginnings of the night suckling a light beer and talking to Alfor and a very attractive man named Rolo. Sure, Lance was definitely taking booth number one in Keith's mind but he still thought others were attractive, he's human after all. 

"You really expect me to believe that you used to race motorcycles," Rolo asked, gruff voice making Keith blush slightly. 

"Well considering it's true, yes," Keith replied,"1998 to 2002, swear to god."

"Wanna swear on anything else," he asked, leaning closer.

Keith smirked slightly,"Tempting.... but no, I won't, I have.... my eyes on a possibility impossible subject at the moment."

"Damn, alright, I get it," he nodded,"Drinking buddy?"

"Very very rarely," Keith nodded, clinking their bottles together as someone walked up to them. 

Keith definitely forget how to breath. Lance had walked up in a tight, blue plaid flannel, a few of the top buttons undon and grey slacks. Yes, flannels were definitely something he oddly wasn't expecting but Jesus Christ did they make Lance look like the lumber jack from all of Keith's wet dreams. 

Ok Keith, mind out of the gutter for two seconds, you'll be able to live dipshit

"Hey Lance," Keith smiled, shifting slightly in his position on his chair. 

"Hey," Lance replied,"You got contacts?"

"Uh, y-yeah! I thought I might try out a change," the smaller shrugged, putting a piece of hair behind his ear. 

"You uh... look good, well you looked good with glasses so you look good either way really," Lance quickly stammered,"But uh anyway, I see you two have met."

"Yeah, Lance talks a lot about you you by the way," Rolo smirked, making the two blush. 

"Rolo," Lance growled,"Don't you have a girl or someone to go to?"

"Nope, I'm a free man," he sighed happily, sending Keith a smirk and wink as he added,"and so is a certain impossibly possible subject."

Keith blushed and laughed, Rolo really was a flirt. Lance, however, did not find it as funny, a frown adorning his lips. He couldn't help but let his mind wander to fanciful ideas, was that frown because Rolo was flirting with Keith? Or just the fact that he was subjected to witness the flirting? His thoughts were interrupted by someone stomping quickly over to them. 

"Marco! Hey lil guy, how's your break so far," Keith asked, crouching down to his student. 

Marco, previously Maria, was already much happier. He got a cute haircut, his blond hair being shaved on the sides and short on the top, pushed forward and spiked. He had on a black shirt with three, blue, horizontal lines across his chest, a black long sleeve under it and dark blue jeans. 

"Great! Papá got me some really good candy and we saw Into The Spider-Verse," he grinned happily. 

"What?! I hear it's really good! I haven't seen it yet though," Keith replied. 

"It's great! Super sad though, Papá cried," he giggled. 

Keith smirked up at Lance, the man blushing and rubbing the back of his head. 

"Listen, there were some really sad parts," the man grumbled, making Keith laugh. 

"It's cute," Keith smirked as he stood. 

Lance sputtered awkward before yelling,"You can't do that!"

"But I did," Keith shrugged back.

"Papá," Maria called,"Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, I'll show you," Lance said and the two quickly left, leaving Rolo and Keith alone. 

The two looked at each other for a second, a mischievous look in Rolo's eyes as he leaned against the counter they were at. 

"So Lance, huh," the blond asked, adjusting his beanie. 

The other sighed heavily,"Yep."

"Damn," Rolo laughed,"I really don't have a chance. But seriously, it's not as impossible as it seems, but he has gone through hell and back so it's not gonna be easy. Be nice to him, yeah?"

Keith blinked widely,"Yeah, of course."

"Good," Rolo pushed himself off of the counter, stretching,"Well anyway, I'm always here if you're looking for a quick smash."

Keith chuckled and rolled his eyes, Rolo quickly left as Shiro walked up. 

"You having a good time," Shiro asked, seeming a bit disgruntled. 

"Yeah, sure," Keith replied,"You good?"

"Fine, just uh... Firefighters seem to be quite..... touchy," Shiro frowned, just as one of the men ran up to Adam, roughly slapping his ass before sprinting off. 

"And they're paying extra attention to Adam to piss off his massive boyfriend," Keith laughed. 

"Precisely," Shiro crossed his arms angrily.

Keith laughed at this,"You're literally the most jealous person I've ever met!"

"Uhm, no I am not! Adam got jealous of a pizza a week ago because apparently I was making 'noises only he is allowed to get out of me'," Shiro retaliated. 

Keith snorted, groaning out "ew" as he pushed Shiro. This started a small shoving match between the two brothers before Rolo once again caught Keith's gaze, the former sending the latter a quick wink to which Keith rolled his eyes. 

"Oh," Shiro asked. 

"No."

"What happened to that Lance guy," Shiro raised a brow. 

"What about me," Lance suddenly popped in, making Keith nearly jump out of his skin.

"Uh nothing," Keith replied as he glanced between him and Shiro. 

"You must be Keith's...," he paused and must've caught a glint of Shiro's wedding ring because he continued with,"...husband?"

"Ew, oh god no," Keith snorted. 

"I'm his brother," Shiro continued and Adam soon approaching,"This is my husband."

"Hey Lance, I'm sure Takashi didn't introduce himself," Adam glared up at his lover. 

"Call me Shiro," he pouted.

Lance laughed at this,"I've heard a lot about you, from both Keith and Jacob, but mostly Keith."

"Shush up," Keith glared playfully, kicking Lance gently. 

"First of all, I'm glad anew input of my little brother being adorable," Shiro chuckled,"Secondly, who's Jacob?"

Keith covered his mouth and looked down, trying to hide his laugh. Lance laughed awkwardly and turned a bit red as he spoke. 

"Oh it's uh- We have an inside joke," Lance tried to play it off. 

"No it's not," Keith snorted,"He got Adam and Jason mixed up for a bit, so anything Jason did he immediately blamed it on Adam."

"So that's why you hated me so much," Adam gasped. 

"Yeah, uh sorry about that," Lance scratched the back of his head. 

"I don't blame you, Jason was a fucking idiot, I have no idea how he got employed here," he scoffed. 

They laughed for a bit before Keith went off to get a drink, where he soon wandered outside. He sat down on an empty bench and took a breath. Looking up at the sky he closed his eyes, relishing in the warmth of his stomach. 

"Hey man," he heard, making him open his eyes. 

"Lance," he smiled. 

"You good," he asked. 

"Perfect, just starting to crash," the first sighed. 

Lance day next to him, the two of them sitting in a content silence. Keith sighed as he leaned against the other, closing his eyes again before feeling Lance stiffen. The older pulled away, an apology ready but he couldn't find his voice when he locked eyes with the Cuban. The two stared at each other for several seconds...

"10!"

...before slowly, one of them started leaning in...

"9!"

...and Jesus Christ they were getting close...

"8!"

...Keith was gently grabbing the others shirt...

"7!"

...and Lance was doing the same...

"6!"

...All Keith could hear was his own heart pounding...

"5!"

...Keith paused, allowing Lance to decide to close the gap between their lips or not....

"4!"

...but then suddenly...

"3!"

...it stopped...

"2!"

"I'm sorry, I can't," the Cuban murmured and got up, walking away to Maria, the two leaving right after. 

"1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"Happy New Year," Keith whispered to himself, looking down.


End file.
